Project Anchor- adolescent victims of sexual abuse

April is sexual assault awareness month, and our teen group has been starting it off strong! We began working on the Clothesline Project which is an empowering activity to broadcast the struggles survivors go though and the strength that they all possess. The Clothesline Project is a beautiful display that highlights different forms of abuse and stories of survivors. Members have also painted teal rocks and wrote encouraging messages on them. Our staff will put these rocks into the community to bring awareness. These are just a couple of activities that Fair Haven will be doing throughout the month of April.

Group members have been able to explore different activities this cohort and discovering new ways of expressing themselves. This group has stayed committed to their recoveries by attending our weekly group. This cohort we have tried new activities such as learning about online safety. This is never an easy topic with adolescents, but it is a much-needed conversation! It is important that adolescents feel that they have a safe place to talk about these subjects. Having conversations about sexual abuse is difficult but it can be especially hard to talk to parents about these feelings. At Fair Haven, we aim to provide a safe and comforting environment for teen survivors so that they can talk openly about questions they may have regarding the sexual abuse.

We are blessed to be able to serve our adolescents in any way that we can. We hope to continue to be able to help our clients express themselves through art. Art has been a great way for these teen survivors to express their feelings. We are grateful for any donations of art supplies that come our way! We are looking forward to new projects in this new cohort!

As we go into our Spring Cohort here at Fair Haven, we have been welcoming quite a few new members within our support group. Walking into January, new members have been able to settle into the group and resonate with old members. We are grateful to be able to provide this service to adolescents in our community. As the world outside is uncertain, our members can always expect a safe place when coming to Fair Haven.

As we continue to grow as an agency, our support groups are trying new things that they have not done in the past. During our last cohort, a goal of ours was to develop new ideas for this specific support group so that older members are not stuck doing the same activities they have been doing for years. We have tried meditation as a group which can be used as a coping skill. We have also created more interactive lessons to invite members to get to know one another. We have also explored affirmations and have done a lot of work with them. An interesting challenge that has come about this cohort was the influx of new members. We have had the opportunity to think of new ways to include all members of the group and get feedback from group members about what they would like to see happen in group. This would include more art projects, of course!

We are always grateful for any donations that we receive. Snacks are a very important part of this group. As funny as that sounds, food is a really great source of comfort! As always, donations of any art supplies would be appreciated. Painting is a great tool for teens, and it is utilized quite often here. Canvas, acrylic paints, paint brushes, beads, or any craft supplies are always needed. Fair Haven is very appreciative of all the blessings that come our way.

There is something extremely special about this group. They are always very welcoming to new members and can instantly make anyone feel comfortable. They have all done amazing work on their journeys to recovery. They have all laughed and cried together here at Fair Haven. They have all had the opportunity to create bonds that are unbreakable.